AFTER TATA'S DEMISE, WHO WILL STEP UP TO LEAD THE GROUP?

THE passing away of Ratan Naval Tata, the Tata Group patriarch and the chairman emeritus on Wednesday night after a short illness, has triggered speculation over who will head the 13 Tata Trusts, which own 66.4% of the $165-billion Tata conglomerate.

- BENN KOCHUVEEDAN

86-year-old Ratan Tata has left for heavenly abode apparently without a succession planning in place for the 13 trusts, shifting the focus to Noel Tata, stepbrother of the late Tata. Noel, who many consider as the heir apparent of the Tata Group, is a trustee in two of the most influential of these trusts -- the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and the Sir Ratan Tata Trust. The two trusts own 55% in Tata Sons, the holding company of the diversified salt-to-software Tata Group. In recent years, Noel has taken on increasingly important responsibilities within the Trusts. In February 2019, he was inducted onto the board of the Sir Ratan Tata Trust. He was also made the vice-chairman of Titan Company in 2018, and in March 2022, he was appointed vice-chairman of